Method for joining wallboards together and a novel wall element

ABSTRACT

A wall element includes a wall panel with its first side edge bent into an L-section and the second side edge bent into a Z-section. The bent sections are provided with holes at specific intervals from each other along the height of the wall panel. When two panels are placed side by side so that the L-section of one panel is fitted against the Z-section of another panel, the holes are positioned opposite one another. A U-shaped tongue strip is fitted against the L-section of the panel, the tongue strip being provided with tongues shaped and dimensioned so that the tongues pass through the holes of the side edges of both panels. A U-shaped wedge strip is fitted against the Z-section of the panel, the wedge strip being provided with holes shaped and dimensioned so that the tongues pass through the holes. The panels attach to each other when the wedge strip is knocked downwards.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a method for attaching wall panels to eachother and a new wall element.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

According to a known method partition panels or wall elements,particularly in the installation of so-called cassettes used inshipbuilding, are attached to each other only at the floor and at theceiling where the points of attachment can be protected with coveringstrips. The panels are not at all attached to each other in the middlebecause it would require separate protective strips to cover the pointsof attachment. The problem with this method of attachment is that gapsreadily appear between the elements in the middle. Another problem ispoor alignment of the elements which may lead to an uneven wall surface.

Various attachment mechanisms have also been suggested whereby the wallpanels or elements can be attached to each other also in the middle orin practice over the entire height of the wall. These kinds of systemsare often composed of various profiled strips which are, for example,placed against the edge of the panel or the element and are screwed fastat specific intervals. Therefore, attachment of these known profiledstrips is in practice rather tedious.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The purpose of this invention is to eliminate the above problem andobtain a new method for attaching wall panels without the abovedrawbacks. The purpose of the invention is also to obtain a wall elementcomprising all tools needed in the attachment, the element being,according to the method, attachable to other similar elements.

By means of the invention wall panels can be firmly attached andaccurately aligned with each other over the whole length of the panel.Installation is rapid because no screwing or the like is needed to beperformed on the building site. The strips employed in the method have asimple structure and their manufacturing cost is low.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

The invention will be described in the following referring to theenclosed drawings in which

FIG. 1 shows wall panels attached to each other as a perspective viewpartly cross-sectioned,

FIGS. 2A and 2B show the perforation of the edge sections of the wallpanel,

FIG. 3 shows the structure of a tongue strip,

FIG. 4 shows the structure of a wedge strip,

FIG. 5 shows wall panels fitted adjacently seen from above,

FIG. 6 shows a cross-section of a joint along the line A--A of FIG. 5before knocking down the wedge strip,

FIG. 7 shows the joint of FIG. 6 after knocking down the wedge strip,

FIG. 8 shows the structure of a wall element of wall panels placedagainst each other.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1 and 5 show the attachment of adjacent wall panels L1 and L2 toeach other. The first side edge 10 of the panel L1 is bent into anL-section and the second side edge 11 is bent into a Z-section. The bentL- and Z-sections are provided with holes 12, 12' respectively at asuitable interval from each other over the height of the wall panel inthe manner shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. The edges of the second panel L2are bent in the same way. The L- and Z-sections of the panel L2 are alsoprovided with holes 12, 12' respectively disposed in the same way asthose of the panel L1 over the height of the wall panel. Thus the holes12, 12' of the edge sections of both panels come opposite one anotherwhen the panel L1 is placed adjacent to the panel L2. The L-section ofthe second panel L2 is placed against the Z-section of the first panelL1 according to FIGS. 1 and 5. The perforated part 15 of the L-sectionof the second panel presses against the similarly perforated part 16 ofthe Z-section of the first panel. A tongue strip 20 with a U-profile,the structure of which appears in more detail in FIG. 3, is attachedagainst the L-section of the panels by gluing or riveting, for example.The middle part 21 of the U-section of the tongue strip 20 is providedwith upward pointing tongues 22 over the height of the strip. Thetongues 22 are dimensioned and fitted so that the tongues go throughboth holes 12, 12' of the edge sections 15, 16 of the panels L1 and L2placed side by side. A wedge strip 30 with a U-profile, the structure ofwhich appears in more detail in FIG. 4, is placed against the Z-sectionof the panel L1. The middle part 31 of the U-shaped section of the wedgestrip is provided with holes 32 over the height of the strip which areshaped and dimensioned so that the tongues 22 go through the holes 32when the wedge strip is placed against the Z-section. The panels L1 andL2 are attached to each other by knocking the wedge strip 30 downwardswhereupon the upper edges 33 of the holes 32 go into the pockets 23formed by the tongues 22, preferably up to the bottom of the pockets.The location of the holes 32 of the wedge strip must, of course, be suchthat the strip can be knocked down in this way. Viewing from above,perforation of the wedge strip starts so that the upper edge 33 of thefirst hole is at the same height as the bottom of the pocket 23 of thefirst tongue. By means of the wedge strip the panels can be attached toeach other and aligned correctly in place.

Naturally, the tongue strip can be attached to the L-section of thepanel on the building site but assembly is quickened if the strip ispre-attached to the L-section of the panel already in the factory. Toobtain a joint between the panels which is as tight as possible, thetongue strip must be firmly attached to the L-section.

Naturally, the wedge strip cannot be permanently fixed to the Z-sectionof the panel in the factory because assembly requires that the strip canbe moved in the vertical direction. However, it is preferable if thewedge strip is temporarily attached against the Z-section by lightgluing or by other means. It must be attached to the edge section 16 ofthe panel so that the tongues 22 go through its holes 32 when two panelsare placed side by side. According to an advantageous solution, thewedge strip is temporarily fixed to the edge section 16 so that itextends a tongue-length above the panel itself. When knocked down itsupper edge will be at the same height as the panel.

The upper edge of the wedge strip 30 is suitably provided with holes 34into which a locking member can be fitted. When the wall is beingdisassembled, a suitable tool can be fitted into the holes 34 to liftthe strip up whereupon the panels release from each other.

According to an advantageous embodiment, the holes 32 of the wedge stripnarrow upwards as shown in FIG. 4. In this way a better attachment isobtained.

The tongue strip 20 is suitably fabricated so that the tongues 22 arepunched out of the middle part 21 of the U-section and are bent in adesired fashion.

FIG. 6 shows the location of the wedge strip when it is temporarilyfixed to the part 16 of the Z-section. By forcing the strip downwards inthe direction of the arrow, one obtains the locking shown in FIG. 7.

The attachment method described above is particularly suitable for theassembly of metal-plate partition walls used in shipbuilding. Insulationcan be fitted inside the plates. The plates can be placed against eachother in the way shown in FIG. 8 to make up a double thickness. Adjacenttongue strips and adjacent wedge strips are coupled to each other sothat the wall structure is compact also in the direction of width. TheU-sections of the tongue strip and the wedge strip are shaped so thatthere is enough space for the outermost flanges of the Z-sections of thepanels.

It is obvious to a specialist in the field that the differentembodiments may vary within the limits of the enclosed claims.

I claim:
 1. Method for attaching wall panels to each other with the wallpanels positioned in side by side relation, the wall panels including afirst wall panel having a side edge bent into a Z-section and a secondside panel having a side edge bent into an L-section, the bent L-sectionand the bent Z-section being provided with holes at spaced intervalsover a height of the wall panels, the method comprising:placing thepanels side by side by fitting the Z-section of the first panel againstthe L-section of the second panel so that the holes in the first andsecond panels are positioned opposite one another; fitting a U-shapedtongue strip against the L-section of the second panel, the tongue striphaving a middle part provided with upwardly oriented tongues extendingover a height of the tongue strip, the tongue strip being fitted againstthe L-section of the second panel so that the tongues pass through theholes of both wall panels; fitting a U-shaped wedge strip against theZ-section of the first panel, the wedge strip having a middle partprovided with holes extending over a height of the wedge strip, thewedge strip being fitted against the Z-section of the first panel sothat the tongues pass through the holes in the wedge strip; and urgingthe wedge strip downwardly so that upper edges of the holes in the wedgestrip are positioned in pockets formed by the tongues to thereby attachthe panels to each other.
 2. Method according to claim 1, wherein thetongue strip is attached to the L-section of the second panel.
 3. Wallelement comprising:a first wall panel having one side edge bent into aZ-section and provided with a plurality of holes at spaced intervalsalong a height of the first wall panel; a second wall panel having oneside edge bent into an L-section and provided with a plurality of holesat spaced intervals along a height of the second wall panel, the firstand second panels being placed in side by side relation so that theZ-section of the first panel is fitted against the L-section of thesecond panel and with the holes in the first and second panelspositioned opposite one another; a U-shaped tongue strip fitted againstthe L-section of the second panel, the tongue strip having a middle partprovided with upwardly oriented tongues extending over a height of thetongue strip, the tongues passing through the holes in the first andsecond panels; and a U-shaped wedge strip fitted against the Z-sectionof the first panel, the wedge strip having a middle part provided withholes arranged along the height of the wedge strip, the tongues in thetongue strip passing through the holes in the wedge strip.
 4. Wallelement according to claim 3, wherein upper edges of the holes in thewedge strip are received in pockets formed by the tongues.
 5. Wallelement according to claim 3, wherein the wedge strip is attached to anedge section of the first panel so that the wedge strip extends atongue-length higher than the panel itself.
 6. Wall element according toclaim 3, wherein the wedge strip includes an upper edge provided withholes to permit the wedge strip to be locked or released.
 7. Wallelement according to claim 3, wherein the holes in the wedge stripnarrow upwards.
 8. Wall element according to claim 3, wherein thetongues are strips punched out of the middle part of the U-shapedsection and bent.
 9. Wall element according to claim 3, including aninsulating material fitted inside the first panel.
 10. Wall elementaccording to claim 4, wherein the wedge strip includes an upper edgeprovided with holes to permit the wedge strip to be locked or released.11. Wall element according to claim 4, wherein the holes in the wedgestrip narrow upwards.
 12. Wall element according to claim 5, wherein theholes in the wedge strip narrow upwards.
 13. Wall element according toclaim 4, wherein the tongues are strips punched out of the middle partof the U-shaped section and bent.
 14. Wall element according to claim 5,wherein the tongues are strips punched out of the middle part of theU-shaped section and bent.
 15. Wall element according to claim 4,including an insulating material fitted inside the first panel.
 16. Wallelement according to claim 5, including an insulating material fittedinside the first panel.